Kerrville Road Trip - Day 1 Morning

I always get a bit excited the night before a road trip and last night was no different. I woke up at 4:24, as in very early, as in everyone else in the world is still asleep, as in still dark time. I eased out of bed and with arms waving around in front of me in the total darkness, baby-stepped my way across the room and into the bathroom to get rid of last night's decaf. I repeated the same process back to bed and for once didn't run into a wall that had moved over a few inches during the night or trip over a discarded blouse or step on a shoe or fork or some other landmine the women in my life sometimes leave for my bare feet to discover in the dark. As I lay back down, I almost squished the little black wonder dog who had jumped up on the bed and was trying to claim my warm spot as her own. As I jerked back to keep from laying on her, I somehow managed to bark my shin on the bed frame. After mumbling a few choice words and rubbing my shin to magically make the intense pain subside to just a hurt, I put the dog back on the floor where she belongs, lay down and closed my eyes. The last thing I remembered before drifting off was the dog jumping back on the bed and curling up at my feet.

I awoke again at 7:27; started petting the Mamma-woman and said I love you to the dog. The only one even slightly interested in what I was doing was the dog so I hauled my butt out of bed and into the shower. Once again I was amazed at how good I can sing in there. After drying off and getting into some clean clothes, I noticed a pile of shorts on my side of the bathroom counter. A few seconds of confusion resulted, but all was cleared up when I decided I better check my packed bag and discovered I only thought I had packed shorts. A last minute check of everything, a quick bowl of heart-healthy Malt-O-Meal, a handful of medicine pills chugged down with left over coffee heated in the microwave, and I'm off!

Well, I thought I was off, but first I had to grab a rag and wipe all the kitty paw prints off BFT (Big Ford Truck). I wonder what little girl left the cats locked in the garage all night? And just how do kitty paws always seem to be so dusty they leave little tracks all over a vehicle? I know they wash their feet, I see them do it so how come my truck is covered in dusty kitty paw prints? Devil's spawn is what they are! But now all kitty traces are gone and as Willie starts singing "On the road again...," the cats, the dog, the house and my girls recede in BFT's rear view mirror. I'm outta here headed for the great unknown with a smile upon my face!

 

Road Trip Bucket List #1

U.S. 66 - Route 66; The Mother Road - Was there any doubt this would be THE number 1 pick for a road trip aficionado like myself? Only the storied history and mystique of this world reknowned route could beat out U.S. 83, "The Road To Nowhere" for number 1 on my Road Trip Bucket List.

Established November 11, 1926 making it one of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 served as a major avenue for those thousands of people who migrated west during the 1930's Dust Bowl. This migration helped established mom-and-pop roadside business such as service stations, restaurants, and motor courts which sprung up to service the motorists. In 1939, author John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was published and help to popularize U.S. 66. It remained a major route west in World War II for people traveling to California for jobs manufacturing war materials. In the 1950's it served as the main road for vacationers going to Los Angeles. Probably one of, if not the most well known and popular routes in the world, Route 66 has been immortalized in a hit song written by Bobby Troup and sung by the likes of Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, The Manhattan Transfer, and DePeche Mode. It also starred in the Route 66 television series in the 1960's and is the setting for the popular animated movie "Cars."

Starting on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, the road used to travel 2,448 miles through 8 states and concluded in Los Angeles. But in 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act and the decline of Route 66 began. It was officially removed from the highway system on June 27, 1985 as it was decided the route was no longer relevant due to being replaced by the interstates. After decommissioning, some sections of the road became a business loop for the interstates, some became state roads, local roads, or were entirely abandoned.

In 1987, Arizona founded the first Route 66 Association and Missouri followed in 1989. Soon, the other states U.S. 66 passed through joined in with their own Route 66 Associations. Museums began to open, "Historic 66" road signs began to mark the road, some sections of the old road have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and some have been named on the National Scenic Byways list. There are now many preservation groups trying to buy, restore, and save many of the old buildings and signs along the road. In 1999, President Bill Clinton signed into law the National Route 66 Preservation Bill which provides $10 million in matching funds for preserving and restoring historic features along the route. In 2008, the World Monuments Fund added Route 66 to its World Monuments Watch. This fund helped the National Park Service develop the Route 66 Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary.

With its popularity continuing to grow, there is more and more demand to add more road signs, repave long abandoned sections, and make it once again a continuous road from Chicago to Las Angeles. It is still not possible to drive the entire original Route 66, but with careful planning, a GPS, and a good guide book, most of the old route can still be taken. And that's exactly what I plan to do. I'll let you know what I find!

Road Trip Bucket List #2

U.S. 83 - Road To Nowhere - This one was so close to being number 1 on my list! One of the longest north-south highways in America at 1,885 miles, it begins in Brownsville, TX at the Mexican border and ends in Westhope, North Dakota at the Canadian border and in-between, it rarely is other than a 2-lane route through small town after small town and open spaces. Photography and people meeting opportunities are boundless. A few years ago, during spring, I traveled down U.S. 83 in mid-Texas for about 125 miles and found it a beautiful and relaxing experience. I'm really looking forward to seeing the whole route.

If you've never been to the Hill Country of Texas, you are missing one of life's pleasures in my opinion. Carrizo Springs, Crystal City, Leaky, Junction, Eden, Paint Rock - all small town America personified situated in a land of beauty during the spring when the wild flowers are blooming everywhere and U.S. 83 meanders right through them along with the miles of open land and farms in between them. Going on further north, the road manages to continue missing anything that might resemble a city, traveling on up through Ampermont, Paducah, Shamrock (where it intersects with Rt. 66), Canadian, Perryton and the miles of open plains of the Texas Panhandle. It doesn't get much better than this!

Leaving Texas, the road enters the Oklahoma Panhandle for a brief 37 miles, going through the towns of Beaver River and Bryan's Corner. Not much to say about the Oklahoma Panhandle except its real quick to get through going north-south.

Entering Kansas, 83 continues its straight north direction through several small towns and intersects Hwy 50, one of my other Bucket List Routes, at Garden City. There doesn't appear to be much of anything except boring, flat, open land for most of Kansas util about 3/4 of the way through the state when it passes by El Cuartelejo Pueblo Ruins, Chalk Pyramids (whatever those are), and Lake Scott State Park. Those 3 things are within about 30 miles of each other and then it appears to be typical Kansas until entering Nebraska between the towns of Oberlin and McCook.

Almost upon entering the home of the Corn Huskers, the land appears to become much prettier and interesting with numerous state parks, woods, and lakes along the way through the whole of the state. Some of the interesting places are Medicine Creek, North Platte, Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, and the Nebraska National Forest. And I reckon I should stop and send my better half a Valentine card postmarked from Valentine. Men will do such things to earn brownie points from the wife you know.

The road enters South Dakota into the Rosebud Indian Reservation and travels through the towns of Mission and White River on its way to 1 of only 2 sections where it does not retain its 2-lane status. In the town of Murdo, U.S. 83 merges with Interstate-90 and for 20 miles, you go east until the town of Vivian where once again you go north on 2 lanes. Crossing the Missouri River, there are lots of miles of not much all the way to North Dakota where you enter just east of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. In the town of Sterling, about 23 miles east of Bismark, the route for the second and last time merges with an interstate, I-94, and passes through the largest collection of civilization along the whole stretch, Bismark. Leaving Bismark behind, the road is 4-lanes while passing by Ft. Clark, Cross Roads State Park, and picturesque Lake Audubon, reverting back to 2 just north of Minot after passing Minot Air Force Base and heading on up to the Canadian border.

83 goes on up into Canada so who knows, perhaps I'll see just how far north my Ford truck will take me.